


Breaking The Rules

by bluelilyrose



Category: One Tree Hill
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-27
Updated: 2012-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-13 00:43:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/497484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluelilyrose/pseuds/bluelilyrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The pain hit as soon as Haley James opened her eyes and her hand quickly moved to press against her forehead in an attempt to alleviate the pressure she felt there. Looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling had her frowning and gently turning her head to one side, she saw something that made her breath catch in her throat. Her free hand slowly lifted the sheet covering her and she saw what she had already guessed to be the case: she was completely naked underneath it.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking The Rules

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers/Warnings:** None as it's AU. Things to keep in mind though: Nathan and Lucas aren't related. Nathan is the son of Keith and Deb Scott while Lucas Roe is Dan and Karen's son. Story contains scenes and language of a sexual nature. 
> 
> **Author's Notes:** This has been written for the **Het Big/Little Bang Challenge 2012**.  
>  A massive thank you goes to the wonderful **Jen** for all of her reassurances and also for beta-ing this for me. You're a star! *hugs*
> 
> * * *

  


**Prologue**

_She listened as he started to say that maybe they shouldn't do this but instead of agreeing with him, she found herself reaching up to place her finger over his lips to halt his words. The way he had kissed her in the elevator had made her blood sizzle in her veins and she knew she wanted that feeling to continue... even if it did end up being a huge mistake._

_Ignoring the still sober part of her brain which was telling her to make her excuses and leave his room, she inched closer to him and stood on her tiptoes so she could press her mouth against his. Even in her three and-a-half inch heels he still seemed to tower over her. She sucked and nibbled on his lips, her tongue teasing the seam of them, silently requesting entrance which he immediately granted. Her hands, which rested on either side of his head, moved to cup the back of it; her fingers threading through his thick, dark hair to hold him still as she all but devoured him. She savored the sensation of his slightly calloused palms stroking over her bare shoulders before they moved down to her waist. A surprised gasp escaped from her throat when he pulled her flush against him and she felt the ridge of his erection pressing into her. Rubbing herself against him, she felt a jolt of electricity course through her at the low moan he released._

_Their kisses became even hotter... more demanding. When he somehow discovered the sensitive patch of skin just behind her ear she was sure her knees were going to give out and if he hadn't been holding her so tightly, she was sure she would have collapsed onto the floor._

_“Like that, huh?”_

_She didn't answer. Instead, she fused her mouth to his once more and kissed him harder while her hands began pushing his suit jacket off of his shoulders. Without breaking the kiss, she managed to strip him out of the garment, quickly followed by his shirt. How she hadn't ripped off any of the buttons or torn the fabric was a miraculous feat._

_Her breathing was harsh and ragged when she drew away from him and she licked her lips as she checked him out. God, he was gorgeous! He had muscles in all the right places but without that overly ripped look which she wasn't particularly a fan of. Reaching out, she ran the pads of her fingers over his defined abs and, without realizing what she was doing, followed his happy trail. When she looked up at him and saw the smirk stretched across his handsome face, she snatched her hand back but she didn't get very far._

_“Don't stop,” he told her, placing it back onto his skin._

_“I... uh...”_

_Ducking his head, he kissed her softly. “I think it's my turn, don't you?”_

_Before she could ask him what he meant, his fingers had found the ties of her halter-neck and he soon had it undone. She felt her face flush as the top half of her dress slid down her chest, exposing her bare breasts to him. Any embarrassment she felt evaporated when her eyes met his hungry gaze and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip when he began palming them. She couldn't contain her moans when his lips surrounded one of her nipples and she held on to him for dear life._

_“You're so beautiful... so sexy,” she heard him whisper and his words fueled her arousal._

_Cupping his face, she pulled him upwards so he could kiss her again and as she lost herself in their dizzying kisses, she missed him unzipping the bottom half of her dress until she felt the silky fabric skimming past her legs and then gathering around her ankles, leaving her clad in just her black panties._

_Taking her by the hand, he led her over to the bed and she sensed him watching her every move as she climbed onto it after first having kicked off her high heels. She couldn't remember ever feeling so desired. As she rested back against the pillows, she watched in rapt attention as he lowered the zipper of his pants and pushed them down his hips. Unconsciously, she rubbed her thighs together when she saw the bulge tenting his boxer briefs._

_She yelped in surprise when he, without warning, grabbed her ankles and pulled her towards him. Leaning forward over her, his firm pectorals rubbed against her sensitive nipples and the sensation went straight to her core. She felt his thumbs hook into the waistband of her panties and she raised her hips to aid him in removing the garment; moaning loudly when she felt his fingertips lightly caressing along the seam of her pussy._

_“Does that feel good?” he asked, his warm breath ghosting over her breasts._

_“So good,” she mumbled. Closing her eyes, she raked her fingernails across his scalp and felt him kissing his way down her body and she cried out at the first touch of his tongue on her clit. Within just a few short moments, she was on the verge of coming and she shamelessly undulated her hips against his face as he intimately kissed and licked her. When he suddenly stopped, she voiced her disappointment but she soon quieted when she met his gaze and realized his intent. Her eyes widened and her sheath clenched with anticipation when he stripped off his underwear and she saw his impressive size._

_When he began to roll on the condom he'd retrieved from his wallet, she crawled backwards up the bed to give them both more room to maneuver, his subsequent smirk making her heart race and helping to push any of the lingering concerns she had to the back of her mind._

_Climbing onto the bed, he kissed up her body and sealing his mouth over hers, he swallowed her passion-filled cries as he entered her in one hard thrust._

  
**Chapter One**   


The pain struck as soon as Haley James opened her eyes and her hand quickly moved to press against her forehead in an attempt to alleviate the pressure she felt there. Looking up at the unfamiliar ceiling had her frowning and gently turning her head to one side, what she saw made her breath catch in her throat. Her free hand slowly lifted the sheet covering her and what she had already guessed to be the case was confirmed for her: she was completely naked underneath it. 

Biting her lip, memories of last night suddenly played through her mind like a movie. Raising her head off the pillow slightly, she noticed her clothes lying scattered on the floor and turning to look at the pillow next to her again, she made a decision as to what she thought was the best thing to do. 

As quietly as she could, she drew the sheet back and climbed out of the bed before quickly bending down and retrieving her clothing. Holding her dress up against her body, she swiftly made her way towards the en suite bathroom where she got dressed and splashed her face with cold water before running her fingers through her hair, trying her best to make herself look somewhat presentable. Anything else could wait until she was back in the privacy of her own room. 

Once she was done, she exited the bathroom and tried to make as little noise as possible as she tiptoed across the carpeted floor, retrieving her shoes together with her purse along the way. Before leaving, she glanced back at her bed partner who was still, thankfully, still fast asleep. God, what had she done, she thought to herself as she turned the door handle and made her escape. 

Unfortunately, her own room was just next door when she would have preferred it to have been on a different floor entirely. Removing the key card from her purse, Haley inserted it into the lock and as soon as she had the door open, she stepped inside and locked it behind her. 

For a long moment, she stood with her back against the door while she took some long, deep breaths. She couldn’t believe she had slept with him. What the hell had she been thinking? Well obviously, she hadn’t been thinking otherwise it wouldn’t have happened, she mentally berated herself. The pounding in her head brought home the fact that alcohol had clearly played a part in last night’s activities and she swore to herself that she would never let another drop pass her lips while, at the same time, knowing that was pretty unlikely. 

Right now, all she knew was that she needed to get out of there and so, walking further into the room, she grabbed her overnight bag from on top of the closet and began throwing in her clothes followed by the toiletries she had brought with her. Thank God the conference had ended last night and she was due to be leaving today anyway. Things would have been even worse otherwise. 

Once she was all packed, she realized that she hadn’t yet had a shower and she debated whether to have one now or wait until she was back at her apartment. Finally, she decided to have a very quick shower now and save washing her hair until she was back home. She just hoped that he wouldn’t wake up and come looking for her. 

Twenty minutes later, Haley was checked out of her hotel room and was climbing into a cab. She felt bad for just leaving but at least she had left a note for him at the reception desk explaining that she had gone back to Tree Hill. The long cab ride home wouldn’t be cheap but there was no way she could ride back in the same car with him, not after what had taken place between them last night. Surely he would understand that.

* * * * *

Nathan Scott was fuming as he drove home. He couldn’t believe she had just left like that, left without even a single word to him. Okay, so she’d left a note with reception telling him there was an emergency she had to take care of back home. Yeah right. A likely story. Did she honestly expect him to believe that after what had happened between them last night? If she did, then she wasn’t as smart as he and everyone else took her for. 

Stopping at a set of traffic lights on red, he picked up his bottle of water from the cup holder in front of him and took a long drink. His head was pounding despite the two Alka Seltzer tabs he’d taken before leaving the hotel and all he wanted to do was go back to bed. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he impatiently waited for the lights to turn green which they did a minute or so later. Thankfully there was hardly any traffic with it still being early on a Saturday morning and so it looked like he would be arriving home sooner than he’d originally anticipated. 

He couldn’t help wondering how much of a head start Haley had had and he wished that he had woken up when she did. Now the situation was going to be a million times worse than it might have been had she stayed. She obviously regretted what had happened and that thought alone left a sour taste in his mouth. 

For the past two years that Haley James had been working for him as his personal assistant he'd had a crush on her but had never done anything about it. They had a good working relationship and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it. Plus, there was the fact that he couldn’t be sure if what he felt was reciprocated.

The last couple of months those feelings for Nathan had been growing to the point where he could hardly look at her without wanting to kiss her. There were several times when they needed to work late into the evening and so they were the only two left in the office and, for him at least, the tension seemed so thick you could cut it with a knife. As he’d sat at his desk trying to get his work done, he would imagine what it would be like to kiss her full lips, to touch her skin which he was sure would be as soft as the finest silk but the most vivid vision was of him taking her on his desk and hearing her moan his name over and over again; her legs tightly wrapped around his waist while her fingernails passionately clawed his back. 

Unfortunately, instead of talking to her and letting her know how he felt, he took the opposite approach and started getting short and snippy with her. If she was a few minutes late back from lunch, which was very rare, he would berate her for it. When he’d hear her on the phone talking to her friends, he would interrupt her and tell her she wasn’t getting paid to arrange her social life and he would stand there until she had ended the call. He had known it would only be a matter of time before things came to a head and last night had been it. 

It hadn’t been totally necessary for Haley to accompany him on this conference but he had managed to get his boss, Dan Roe, to agree to her assisting him on the trip and when he had put the request to her, he had seen the skeptical look in her eyes. It wouldn’t have been the first time she had gone with him to one of these events but the last one she had attended had been when he had been due to make a presentation and so had needed her assistance. This time, the conference had only been for a couple of days and no presentation was being made. However, he had told her that Dan had insisted she go with him to take notes and that if she had a problem with it she should take it up with him, something he knew she wouldn’t do. 

The first night they were at the hotel he had invited her to have dinner with him but she had politely declined his offer. Last night though he had insisted, telling her it was his way of apologizing for acting like an ass the past couple of months and he had been relieved when she had accepted. 

Dinner had been a success. The wine flowed which helped loosen them both up and they began to really talk, sharing more personal details about themselves. Nathan found himself even more attracted to the pretty young woman, especially given the midnight blue halter-necked dress she was wearing which made her look even sexier, and, not ready for their night to come to an end, he had invited her to the hotel’s lounge where they had a few more drinks. It was just after midnight when they rode up in the elevator to head back to their respective rooms and it was in the elevator that he kissed her for the first time. 

He didn’t know what caused him to suddenly do it but it just felt right. He had caught her watching him from where she stood opposite him and without thinking about it, he had quickly moved forward and covered her mouth with his. There was a split-second where he really thought she would push him away but she hadn’t. Instead, her arms had come up around his neck as she pulled him in closer to where she was leaning against one of the elevator car’s metal walls. One of his arms wrapped around her waist while his free hand cupped her cheek in his palm as the kiss grew in intensity. If the elevator hadn’t suddenly dinged to announce it’s arrival at their floor, he was sure they would have ended up going even further. 

Nathan had been able to tell from the way Haley had blushed that she was embarrassed about what had just occurred and he figured that nothing else would be happening. They had to pass his room first to get to hers and he'd had every intention of walking her to her room and then going back to his own... alone. Staring at everything but each other, their eyes had finally met and without either of them saying another word, they moved closer together and shared another sizzling kiss. 

His hands had fumbled in his pants pocket looking for his key card and finally finding it, he reluctantly broke the kiss so he could open the door. He let her enter first and he saw her hesitate for a very brief moment before she crossed the threshold. The large bed had seemed to dominate the room and both of them had stood staring at it. 

He remembered starting to say that maybe they shouldn’t do this but she had quietened him by placing her forefinger over his lips. The next thing he knew she was once again kissing him, her small hands placed either side of his head holding him still. His own hands stroked her bare shoulders and upper arms before slipping down to wrap around her waist and pulling her even closer into his body. He knew she could feel he was hard, the tiny gasp she released confirmed it, and he moaned into her mouth when she began to rub up against him. 

Just the gentle touch of her hands on his face and then his neck had sent his temperature soaring and while they had both been under the influence of alcohol, he knew he had been completely lucid during the entire encounter. He didn’t think he would ever forget the passion that she had demonstrated and even thinking about it now was making him hard. In the office she acted pretty prim and proper at times but last night she had shown him a completely different side to her character and he had loved it. 

One night wouldn’t be enough for him and he knew he would have his work cut out for him in convincing her of that fact. Something people always said about him was that he was persistent and he hoped that that little particular trait would serve him well in this instance. 

As he drove along, he wondered when he should start putting his plan into motion. A part of him thought that leaving things until they saw each other at work on Monday might be the wrong thing to do because if he left it until then she would have all weekend to stew over the matter and if she regretted what happened between them already, then it didn’t look good for when he’d see her next week. 

In that moment, he decided to stop by her apartment as soon as he was back in Tree Hill. The sooner they talked about this the better.

  
**Chapter Two**   


Arriving back at her apartment, Haley busied herself with unpacking her bag before getting changed into a pair of comfy black sweatpants and a baby blue tank top. Saturdays for her were often taken up with cleaning and doing laundry so that her Sundays were free do whatever she wanted and she saw no reason why this weekend should be any different. She couldn’t afford to let herself think about certain things and just needed to keep busy and so she decided to make a start on her laundry. She was halfway to the bathroom to collect the hamper when the intercom in her hallway buzzed letting her know she had a visitor. 

Padding across the carpet, she picked up the handset for the intercom. “Hello?”

“Haley, it's me... Nathan.”

The familiar voice on the other end of the line had her frozen to the spot and she couldn’t help the words that left her mouth or the harsh tone she used. “What are you doing here?”

“I think we need to talk,” Nathan told her simply.

“There’s nothing to talk about. What happened was a mistake…a drunken mistake. Now if you don’t mind I’ve got things to be getting on with. I’ll see you on Monday.” Disconnecting the call, she placed the handset back in its cradle on the wall and she hadn’t taken more than two steps before the buzzer sounded again. Ignoring it, she went into the bathroom as she had originally intended and picked up her clothes hamper, carrying it into the small utility area adjacent to her kitchen where the washer and dryer were situated. 

Downstairs, Nathan continued to press the button for her apartment. He didn’t care how long he had to stay out there, he wasn’t going anywhere without talking to her about what had happened at the hotel. If things were this awkward between them now, he could only imagine how bad they would be on Monday morning when they faced each other at work. Knowing it would more than likely drive her insane, he kept his finger on the button so that the noise on her end was continuous.

Haley cursed under her breath at the shrill noise that was disturbing her previously peaceful apartment. She debated turning her stereo on and blaring some music to try and cover it but she knew all she’d probably get out of that would be complaints from her neighbors. Storming over to the intercom again, she picked it up and shouted, “Stop it! Let go of that damn button, Nathan.” 

He stopped just long enough to tell her, “I’ll only stop if you let me come up and talk to you.” As soon as he’d finished talking, his finger once again pressed down on the button.

She swore loudly as the noise resumed. There was no way she could put up with this for much longer and she knew that if she didn’t let him in, the stubborn asshat would stay out there all day and annoy the crap out of her. 

“Fine! You win, okay. You can come up for five minutes, say what you’ve got to say and then leave. Agreed?” She knew without needing to see his face that he was probably smirking the way he always did when he got his own way. 

“Agreed.” 

She breathed a sigh of relief when the noise suddenly stopped and counting to three, she pressed the button which released the latch on the main front door and waited for him to come up. Her palms felt sweaty and she quickly wiped them on her pants. Without realizing it, she had started to pace by the door and then as if a light-bulb had gone off inside her head, she practically ran to her bedroom and checked her appearance in her mirror. Reaching up, she released her hair from the messy ponytail she had pulled it into earlier and ran a brush through it. Picking up her favorite peach lip gloss, she applied some onto her lips, rubbing them together to distribute the color just as the knock on her door sounded. 

Taking a couple of deep breaths, she frowned at her reflection when she realized what she had just done but she justified it as just wanting to make herself look presentable and unaffected by his sudden appearance. 

Slowly walking towards her front door, she took another long, deep breath before finally opening it and coming face to face with Nathan. A small part of her debated keeping him in the hallway rather than letting him in but she didn’t want nosy old Mrs Hedges who lived opposite her listening to their conversation. 

“Hey,” Nathan said as he waited for her to let him inside. For a moment he didn’t think she was going to let him enter but then she took a step back and opened the door wider. 

“Hey, come in.” 

“Thanks. So, do my five minutes start right now?” he teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

“Don’t start with me because I’m not in the mood. Just say what you’ve got to say and then leave. I’ve got things to be getting on with.”

Nathan swallowed. It didn't look like she was going to be going easy on him. “Okay. Is it alright if I sit down?”

“Sure,” she replied as she walked over to her favorite armchair and took a seat in it. Her fingers nervously played with the hem of her top as she waited for him to take a seat on the couch. 

Nathan couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous around a woman before and despite his attraction to Haley, he’d always felt in control with her. Now, though, that was shot to hell. His mouth was dry and his palms felt clammy. 

They both sat there in silence as they waited for the other to speak, all the time their eyes looking at anything but each other. 

“You’ve got a really nice place here,” he finally said and he inwardly cursed himself for sounding so lame. 

“Thanks, but I don’t think you came here to talk about my apartment.”

“No, I didn’t. I came to find out why you just left like that this morning. I woke up alone and then when I knocked on your door I got no answer. It was only when I went to check myself out of my room that I was told you’d already checked out and the receptionist handed me your note.”

“What did you think was going to happen, huh? What happened last night was a mistake, it shouldn’t have happened and it wouldn’t have if we hadn’t drunk so much.”

“I just... I didn’t think you were going to run out on me like that and…”

“Oh, I forgot, that’s usually your trick, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked pointedly, his eyes narrowing. 

“I’ve heard the rumors, Nathan.”

“What rumors?”

Haley sighed. She could feel the headache she had been fighting pushing its way back to the front of her head. “The rumors about how you’re the king of one night stands. How you always… leave before the woman wakes up so as to avoid any kind of awkwardness or confrontation.”

“Is that so? Well, you obviously know a lot more about it than I do.” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Of all the things he had expected her to come out with, that hadn't been one of them. Getting up from the couch, he started to walk towards the door before turning to face her. “I guess my five minutes are up. See you on Monday.”

Looking up at him, she saw a mixture of sadness and anger on his face and, not for the first time, she wondered if maybe the things she'd heard about him weren’t true. “What? Where are you going?”

Nathan shook his head as he watched her get up from her seat and walk over to him. “You seem to have made your mind up about me so I’m just going to go. I guess you were right, what happened between us was a mistake and it's probably best that we forget about it.”

As she looked at him, her eyes met his and she found herself drowning in his gaze. She felt her cheeks heating up as flashes of last night ran through her mind and coughing to clear her suddenly dry throat, she said, “Look, don’t.... don't go. I’ll make us some coffee and we can talk.” 

He was just about to tell her not to bother and that they should just leave things as they were but he couldn’t seem to say the words. If he left now, he knew things would just become more awkward between them and he didn’t want that. He would rather continue having a friendly working relationship with her than nothing at all. 

“Okay,” he told her giving her a crooked smile before walking over and taking a seat on the couch again. From his position, he had a good view of her in the kitchen as she made the coffee and the smile on his face seemed to grow. “Do you need any help?” he called out a moment later.

“No, I’m fine thanks.”

“I’ll say,” he muttered under his breath.

“Sorry?”

“Uh, nothing. So, uh, what was the emergency you had to rush back home for?”

Haley had returned to what she was doing and so her back was facing him which at that moment she was more than happy about. Why the hell had she put that in her note to him? “Uh... it’s kind of personal,” she replied in the end.

“Right,” he returned disbelievingly. He was even more certain now that there hadn’t been any emergency causing her to rush home.

A few minutes later, Haley carried a tray over and placed it onto the coffee table. “Help yourself,” she told him. “I brought out some cookies too seeing as I haven’t had any breakfast. I’m guessing you haven’t eaten either.”

“No, I haven’t.” Reaching over, he picked up one of the cups of coffee and added some sugar and milk to it before picking up a chocolate chip cookie and sitting back comfortably. “Mm, these are really good,” he told her after polishing it off. 

“Thanks. It’s an old family recipe.”

“You made them?”

“Uh huh. I know it probably sounds kind of lame but baking is one of my hobbies.”

“It's not lame at all,” he told her. “If your cookies taste this good, I’d love to try the other stuff you make.”

Haley’s cheeks flushed at the compliment but she found herself smiling. “Thanks.” They sat in silence for a few moments as they sipped their coffees and Nathan ate another cookie. Finally, she plucked up the courage to start the conversation she knew they needed to have. 

“Why did you kiss me last night? Was it just the alcohol that made you do it?” Her eyes were fixed on the coffee cup in her hands as she waited for him to answer her.

Nathan’s eyes flickered over to where she was sitting and seeing that she wasn’t looking at him, he let his gaze wander up and down her body. He was used to only seeing her in her office clothes which, while flattering to her curvy figure, didn’t let him really see her. Now, seeing her sitting opposite him in just a tank top with her lightly tanned skin on display and a simple pair of sweats was sending the blood rushing to a certain part of his anatomy. She was so breathtakingly gorgeous.

“N-Nathan?” Having received no response, Haley had looked up and caught him watching her and not for the first time that day, she blushed yet again. 

“Sorry. I kissed you because I’ve wanted to do it since the moment I met you. There, I've said it. And no, it wasn’t the alcohol that made me do it. If anything, it just gave me the courage to do it and an excuse to hide behind if you slapped me or pushed me away,” he confessed. 

“Oh!” Her voice came out as a squeak as her mind rapidly took in what she had just heard. 

“And just to clear up those so-called rumors; I don’t pick up women, sleep with them and then sneak out once they’re asleep. I’m not going to tell you I’ve never had a one night stand because a) it wouldn't be true and b) I don’t think you’d believe me anyway. Those happened when I was on the basketball team in high school and before I knew any better. I’m guessing the rumors you’ve heard have been thanks to Brooke. Am I right?”

Haley nodded. “Um… yeah. We were talking about you one day and she mentioned that you'd had a pretty bad reputation throughout high school and then college for doing that.”

“I’ll admit my reputation in high school wasn’t the best but by the time I hit my second year of college, I’d cleaned up my act. Since then I haven’t had any one night stands.”

“Until last night, right?”

“No,” he whispered. “I don't know about you but I don't consider what happened between us a one night stand.” Placing his coffee cup back onto the tray, he pushed himself off the couch and walked over to where she was sitting and he crouched down in front of her. “Last night meant something to me and waking up alone this morning... well, it made me realize how those girls must have felt when I did it to them. I felt sick when I found out you’d already checked out of the hotel and I knew I needed to come and see you and tell you how I feel about you.”

“Nathan, I—t”

“Let me finish. Please?” He waited for her to agree which she did a moment later with a small nod of her head. “I am so attracted to you, Haley, and at times it’s made working with you complete hell. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt... how the only thing on my mind during the nights we'd be working late was kissing you.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” she asked as she looked down into his face. Over the time she had worked for him, she had managed to detect when he wasn’t being totally truthful with her and right now wasn’t one of those occasions. 

“Because… I didn’t know if you felt the same,” he admitted. “In the office you’re always so professional and there just never seemed to be a good time to bring it up. There have been times when I’ve asked you to work late and it hasn’t been necessary; they were just excuses so I could spend some more time with you.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

He quietly sighed to himself. “You don’t have to say anything, Haley. I just needed you to know that last night…well, it meant something to me.” The last two words he muttered under his breath but she caught them.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “It meant something to me, too.”

His eyes which had lowered flew back to her face and he regarded her seriously. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” she said giving him a soft smile. “I said last night meant something to me, too. Why do you think I ran away this morning?”

“I don’t know. I figured you regretted it and—”

“No,” she interrupted. “I could never regret it. I think I was just feeling... overwhelmed. I guess it’s my turn to be honest and tell you that I’m attracted to you as well. That and... uh, that I wasn't as drunk as I might have appeared.”

Nathan couldn’t help the smile that had crept onto his lips at hearing her words. “How do you mean?”

“I’m not that much of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. I guess you can thank Brooke for that,” she teased, referring to their mutual friend. 

“Well, if she’s going around spreading rumors about me, I’m not sure thanking her is what I should be doing.” His legs were starting to cramp as he continued to crouch and so he stood back up and went back to his seat on the couch.

“I’m sorry about that, Nathan. I shouldn’t have just taken her word for it but she’s my friend and I know she’s known you a long time.”

He nodded. “Yeah, she has. We’ve known each other since elementary school and our families were friends.”

“Did the two of you ever date?” She’d asked Brooke the same question a while back but she was curious to see what his answer would be.

“God, no! I think we’d have ended up killing each other long ago if we’d ever dated,” he said laughing. “I’m curious though, how did the two of you meet and become friends?”

“Oh, uh, I was working late one night not long after I’d started at the company and I was temping for Lucas. Brooke came up to the office to meet him for their date and after he'd introduced us and she discovered I'd only just moved into the area, she made it her mission to give me a tour of the town and it just went from there, I guess.”

“I’ll bet the tour lasted all of five minutes,” he teased. 

“You would think so but she took me more on a tour of all of her favorite stores so it lasted pretty much all day.”

“Ah, I should have guessed,” he said, chuckling.

They fell into a semi-comfortable silence but this time they didn’t look away from each other. Haley felt her body heat up when she noticed his eyes lower to focus on her lips and she unconsciously licked them. “So, uh, what happens now?” she found herself asking.

“What do you want to happen?” he countered.

“I asked first.”

“Okay,” he said, smiling at her. “I want to get to know you better, Haley. I want to see where this thing between us leads. How about you?” The fingers on one hand nervously tapped away on his knee as he waited for her reply. 

Smiling back at him, she was just about to agree with what he had said when she remembered something and started to shake her head. “I can’t… we can’t.”

The smile slowly faded from his face. “Why not?”

“Because we work together, Nathan.”

“And? I think we’re mature enough to be able to keep our private lives out of the office.”

“I know that and I agree but what about Dan?”

He gave her a confused look. “Dan Roe, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“What about him?”

Standing up from her seat, she paced in front of him and a second later he stood up and took her hands in his, effectively stilling her movements. “What’s our boss got to do with this?”

“I’m talking about the rule he implemented about colleagues not dating each other.”

“Oh, that.”

“Yes, that. After what happened when Elaine and Josh split up, he made it clear that he didn’t want something like that happening again and so brought that rule into immediate effect.”

Nathan remembered it well. Even though the couple in question had worked in different departments, when they split up it had been very messy and had spilled over involving various people within the company taking sides, etc. At the time, he hadn’t blamed Dan for coming up with the rule preventing colleagues from getting involved with each other in future. Now, though, was a completely different story. 

“Haley, I…”

“No, Nathan, we can’t. He’s not going to make an exception for us and—”

Her words were cut off by his lips crushing against hers. Like last night, he thought that as soon as his lips touched hers that she would push him away but she didn’t. Instead, her arms came up to twine around his neck and her fingers played with the short hairs at the nape. The moment she parted her lips he slipped his tongue inside her warm mouth and he explored it thoroughly. 

The feel of his fingers slipping just under the hem of her top and drawing lazy circles on her bare skin was sending shivers up and down her spine. Reluctantly, she broke the kiss to breathe in some air and slowly opening her eyes, they were met by his clear blue ones looking back at her. 

“This is wrong.”

“No, it’s not. This feels so right and I know you feel the same despite what you’re saying. If you'd thought it felt wrong you would have pushed me away as soon as I kissed you but you didn’t.” Closing the gap between them, he kissed her again but this time pulled back before it had a chance to get too out of control. “I want you so much, Haley. I always have.”

“I-I want you, too but… what about work?”

“Let’s worry about that later. Besides…” Nathan paused, letting his fingers slowly move higher up her back and, once more, he felt her shiver against him. 

“Besides what?” she queried.

“Besides, rules are meant to be broken,” he told her, a smirk etched across his face as he fell backwards onto the couch, pulling Haley down on top of him.

  
**Chapter Three**   


Haley was nervous as she arrived for work on Monday morning. Lying wasn’t something that came naturally to her and she dreaded someone finding out that she had become more than Nathan Scott’s personal assistant. The last thing she needed was for the gossip mill to start working and for her to be the focus of its attention. 

It was still fairly early and she was one of the first to arrive, something she had done deliberately so she would hopefully have a chance to compose herself before her colleagues turned up. 

Arriving at her desk, she placed her bag on the floor beside it before slipping out of her jacket and hanging it up on the coat-stand. The office kitchen was her next stop where she started preparing a pot of coffee. As she waited for it to percolate, her mind started to wander back to what had happened on Saturday. 

Her body grew warm as she remembered the feel of Nathan’s lips on hers and his large hands caressing her skin as they cuddled together on her couch. Despite them having slept together the night before, she had told him that she didn’t feel ready to repeat what had happened just yet and she hadn’t been able to stop herself from smiling with relief when he had said he understood. 

They had spent the afternoon and most of the evening together in her apartment just enjoying getting to know each other outside of a work environment. When he helped her prepare dinner, it had felt so natural and she hoped that it would be the first of many such occasions. 

A pair of arms sliding around her waist startled her as she was broken out of her reverie but the sound of his voice quickly relaxed her. 

“Hey,” Nathan whispered against her ear as he pressed his front to her back. 

“Hey you,” she whispered in return, her head tilting back to rest on his shoulder. “We shouldn’t be doing this here, anyone could walk in on us.”

“No one’s here this early…well, except for you that is,” he teased. 

“Very funny.” 

“Hey, I’m not complaining, especially if it means that we get to spend some time alone together. Why do you think I’m here at this time?”

A rosy blush appeared on her cheeks at his words. “I just figured you wanted to get a head start or something.”

Turning her in his arms, he again wrapped his arms around her waist and once he saw that he had her attention, he shook his head. “No. I made sure I got up early so I could catch you before everyone else arrived.” Lowering his head, he touched his lips to hers and kissed her softly. “I missed you yesterday.”

Haley’s curled her arms around his neck and her fingers idly stroked back and forth over the skin there, liking the way he seemed to tremble at her touch. “I missed you, too.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh. There was one point where I almost called Lindsey to cancel our plans,” she confessed shyly. The only reason she hadn't gone ahead and done that was because she hadn't seen her friend for several months and it wouldn't have been fair to change their plans at such short notice.

“I wish you had. All I could think about was you and seeing you again.”

His words sparked something within her and she raised up on her tiptoes and captured his mouth, kissing him hotly. Sucking on his tongue, she could taste the minty toothpaste he’d used that morning. She could feel herself getting lost in his kisses but the moment she felt his hand slipping under her blouse, she came to her senses and remembered exactly where they were. 

Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Haley pulled back from him and watched as his eyes fluttered open. “We can’t do this here, Nathan.”

Looking around himself, he realized that they were still standing in the kitchen and glancing at the clock on the wall, he knew that in just a matter of moments, a few of their colleagues would be arriving and heading their way to top up their caffeine levels. 

“You’re right. Let’s go into my office… I’ve got a lock on the door.” His lips curled up into his trademark smirk. 

“Don’t tempt me. If you go on ahead, I’ll bring you a cup of coffee and…”

“Do I get a kiss with it?” 

“Maybe. Get your ass into your office and you’ll find out when I bring you a cup.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He was just about to exit the room when he turned around and planted a kiss on her cheek. Giving her a grin, he said, “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

After he’d left the kitchen, she sighed and mumbled under her breath, “I know the feeling.”

* * * * *

The morning flew by and before Haley knew it, it was lunchtime. Finishing off the report she was typing, she saved it and logged out of her PC before getting up from her chair. After picking up her bag, she was just about to make her way to the elevator bank when Nathan came out of his office and her lips curved up into a shy smile. 

“Are you on your way to lunch?” he enquired.

“Uh huh. I’m just going to the deli to grab a sandwich, do you want me to get you anything?”

He shook his head. “No, thanks for asking. I was actually coming to ask you if you wanted to go out and have lunch with me?”

Looking around her to make sure no one was listening, she stepped a little closer to where he was standing and lowered her voice when she spoke again. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Nathan. In all the time we’ve been working together we’ve never gone out to lunch so I think it’ll raise suspicions if we suddenly do that now.”

“I guess you’re right,” he replied dejectedly. 

“I’ve got a suggestion though.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” she said, a little half-smirk tugging at her lips. “If I buy us both lunch, we could eat it together in your office and pretend we’re working on something if anyone asks what we’re doing.”

“I’m guessing that we won’t be able to get away with locking the door?” he teased. 

“You guessed right. I think that might be a bit hard to explain. So, what do you say?”

He smiled at her. “It sounds good. Let me give you some money,” he said as he moved to take his wallet out of his pants pocket.

“No, this one’s on me. You can pay next time.”

“Deal.”

“Okay then, so what would you like?”

“If you’re going to the deli on the corner, I’ll have their meat feast sub and a packet of barbecue potato chips. Oh, and a cherry cola.”

“I can see you’re very health conscious.”

“Hey, I work out. Anyway, I don’t eat this every day,” he told her.

“I’m only kidding. And I can totally tell you work out,” she whispered just in case anyone was in earshot. 

“Is that so?”

“Oh yeah.” Realizing her thoughts were veering into dangerous territory, Haley took a step back and tried to compose herself. “Uh, I shouldn’t be too long. See you in a few.”

“I’ll be counting the minutes,” he told her before laughing. 

“You are so cheesy,” she threw over her shoulder as she walked away. 

Nathan watched her until she was out of sight. He hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away from her gentle swaying hips or her shapely legs which were nicely displayed in the pencil skirt she was wearing. 

“Ah, just the person I was coming to see.”

Dan Roe’s voice made him jump and he quickly turned to see his boss standing behind him. 

“Oh, hey, Dan. What can I do for you?”

“I need to discuss the Moran case with you and the only time I’ve got available is now. I thought we could do that over lunch across the street at Sullivan’s.”

“You mean right now? It’s just that as I’ve got back to back meetings tomorrow I need to speak to Haley about something when she gets back from the deli and—”

“I’m sure she won’t mind staying behind tonight to do that,” Dan interrupted. “You know how important the Moran case is and I’ll be out of the office for the next couple of days so we need to deal with it right now.”

“Yes, Sir. Let me just leave a note for Haley so she knows where I’ve disappeared to… I mean, so she knows what to tell my clients when they call,” he quickly amended when he saw a flash of what appeared to be curiosity flash across his boss’ features. 

“I’ll meet you in the lobby,” the older man said as he walked away and Nathan cursed under his breath. Picking up Haley’s notepad and one of her pens, he quickly scribbled a note letting her know what had happened and he placed it somewhere she would easily see it. 

Going into his office, he quickly grabbed his jacket and made his way down to the lobby.

* * * * *

Getting out of the elevator, Haley walked the short distance to her desk but instead of stopping there, she went straight into Nathan’s office and frowned when she didn’t see him in there. She figured that maybe he was in the bathroom or something so she placed the paper bag containing their lunch on his desk before quickly heading out to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. As she made her way back, she noticed her notepad resting up against her computer monitor and looked at it with a confused expression on her face. She was sure she hadn’t left it like that. Walking closer to it, she saw Nathan’s familiar handwriting and tearing off the sheet of paper, she read the reason why he wasn’t sitting in his office right now.

Sighing quietly, she went back into his office and picked up the bag and brought it back to her own desk, removing her sandwich from it and then taking his to place in the fridge. She doubted he’d want it after eating lunch with Dan. 

Arriving back at her desk, she sat down on her chair and unwrapped her chicken salad sandwich and took a bite. Putting it down for a moment, she opened one of her drawers and removed the book she was currently reading and opened it to the page she had bookmarked. As she tried to concentrate on the words in front of her, her thoughts returned to Nathan and how disappointed she was that they couldn’t have lunch together. It was silly, she knew that, but when he had agreed to her suggestion she had really been looking forward to them spending a little more time together, even though they had both agreed to keep their relationship out of the office. 

As she finished eating her lunch, she couldn’t help thinking that whatever happened between the two of them, things weren’t going to be easy.

  
**Chapter Four**   


“Hey, Haley, is Nathan in?” Lucas Roe asked, smiling. 

Haley returned his smile, shaking her head. “No, he's still with your dad. Do you want me to give him a message?”

“No, that's okay. I'll call his cell later. It's nothing urgent. So, how's everything with you?”

“Things are good, thanks. What about you?”

“Can't complain. Oh, by the way, Brooke said she'll give you call later this week.”

“Great. Tell her I said hi and I'll speak to her soon.”

“Will do.” Lucas was just about to turn and leave when he saw Nathan walking towards him. “Hey, man. I was looking for you.”

“Can it wait?” Nathan asked. “It's just, Dan's out of the office for the next few days and he's given me a ton of stuff to do on the—”

“Moran case? Yeah, I know. He mentioned this morning that it's top priority. You and Haley are gonna have your hands full.” The smile he wore turned into a frown when he noticed Haley's cheeks suddenly flush a rosy pink. 

“So, what was it you wanted?” Nathan quickly asked when he noticed the curious look he was shooting his gir—Haley. 

“It was just to let you know I can't make it to the bar on Friday night since Brooke's booked us an appointment with a wedding planner. Apparently, they had a last minute cancellation.”

“Okay, no problem. After the week I'm likely to be having with this case I'd have probably ended up bailing on you.”

“Now I know why Brooke's going to be calling me,” she teased her former boss. 

“Hey, if you want, you can always go to the wedding planner in my place,” he quipped. 

Laughing, she replied, “Thanks but no thanks. She's all yours, buddy.”

“I'd better get back to the grindstone. Good luck with the case, Nate. If there's anything you need let me know.”

“Thanks, Luke. See you later.”

When he had left, Nathan smiled warmly at Haley. “Ms James, can I see you in my office, please?”

The richness of his voice gave her tingles and she simply nodded her response. Pushing back her chair, she got up and smoothed down her skirt before picking up her notepad and a pen. 

As soon as she had entered his office, the door shut behind her and she found herself pressed up against it. Dropping her pad and pen, she wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck and returned his kiss, parting her lips to welcome his tongue into her mouth. Despite their conversation on Saturday at her apartment, she was already re-thinking what she had said to him about wanting to wait before they had sex again. Right now, all she could think about was pushing him down onto his big leather chair and climbing on top of him. 

God, what was he doing to her?

“Do you, uh, want to come over for dinner tonight?” Haley found herself asking in between kisses. 

“Will there be dessert?” he teased, sucking on that spot behind her ear. 

“Maybe...”

“I'll definitely be there, then.” Reluctantly drawing back from her after one more kiss, he crossed the room and took a seat on the corner of his desk. “We're probably going to have to stay late tonight though,” he informed her. “Dan wants this case wrapped up before he gets back.”

“I'll stay as late as you need.”

“Thanks, Haley. I really appreciate it.”

“Well, it's kind of my job,” she replied, her lips curving upwards into a half-smile before she bent down and picked up the pad and pen that she had dropped. 

“Yeah, I know but I just wanted you to know that I'm grateful for all the times you've stayed late.”

“Even if some of them weren't necessary?” Haley couldn't resist teasing him. 

“I knew that would come back to bite me in the ass,” he joked. 

When their laughter had faded, she got serious. “Okay, what do you need me to do?”

Retrieving a file from his desk, he handed it to her. “Dan's amended the two reports in there so if you could make the necessary changes that'd be great. Oh, and print off the—”

“The cover letters? Yeah, I know.”

“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly. 

Haley saw the little pout he wore and she thought he looked adorable. She was just about to reach out and stroke his face when the door suddenly flew open and she quickly retracted her hand. 

Entering the office, Dan Roe didn't fail to notice the close proximity of his two employees. “Uh, sorry to interrupt but I just need another word with you, Nathan.”

“I'll go and get started on those amendments,” Haley said, giving the two men a small smile. Closing the door behind her, she quietly sighed and hoped that Dan hadn't noticed anything untoward between her and Nathan.

* * * * * 

Later that evening as they took a break from working to eat the Chinese take-out they had ordered, Haley asked, “Did Dan say anything to you about us?”

Nathan shook his head as he took a sip of water and swallowed it. “No, why would he?”

“I don't know. I guess I was just worried that he might have noticed how close we were standing. He had a strange look on his face as I passed by him.”

He laughed. “He always has a strange look on his face.”

She didn't argue with him on that one. “I should've been more careful though.”

Reaching over the desk, he took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. “It's a good job he didn't come along a few minutes earlier when I had you pinned up against the door. Now that he might've had some questions about.”

“Nathan!” she admonished. “I'm serious. We have to be more careful.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “I'll do my best to keep my hands off you in the office.”

“You're incorrigible,” she huffed. 

“My mom's been saying that for years.”

“I can see why.”

His smirk deepened. “So, listen. Do you want to go and catch a movie this weekend?”

“I-I don't think that's a good idea, Nathan.”

“What, why not?” 

Picking at the label of her own bottle of water, she hesitated in answering. 

“Haley?”

“It's just... Tree Hill's a small town and if we're seen together outside of work... C'mon, you know how fast gossip travels here and I know we could just say we're friends hanging out together but it would still probably raise questions and—”

“You're cute when you ramble, you know that?” he teased. 

Haley felt her cheeks heat up. “Shut up!”

“Alright, what about this for an alternative. You come over to my place and we'll rent a couple of movies and I'll make us dinner.”

“You can cook?”

“Yep and I'm pretty damn good, even if I do say so myself. So, what do you say? Is it a date?”

Looking at their still linked hands and then back at his face, Haley nodded shyly. “Yeah, it's a date.”

* * * * *

After a hellish and exhausting week, Friday finally came around and Haley couldn't have been happier. After tidying up her desk and logging out of her computer, she was just about to rap her knuckles on Nathan's open door when she saw he'd reclined his chair slightly and was lying back with his eyes closed. The strain of the past few days was clearly etched upon his face and before she could stop herself, she said, “Maybe we should cancel tonight.”

Nathan's eyes flew upon hearing her words and he frowned. “Why?”

“It's been a hard week and, well, you look really tired so I thought—”

“I don't want to cancel,” he told her. “If anything, knowing we were hanging out tonight is what's kept me going.”

“Yeah, me too,” she confessed. The smile he gave her in response to her admission sent a lick of heat through her. “Okay, I'm going to go home and change so I'll see you at your place in a couple of hours.”

Pushing himself out of his chair, Nathan walked towards her and, after closing the door, he brushed his lips over hers. “I, uh, was thinking... if you wanted to, you could maybe spend the weekend with me. I'm not expecting us to do anything,” he said, remembering their previous conversation, “but I—”

“What if I want us to... do something, I mean?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Maybe. I just don't want us to rule anything out,” she murmured before nuzzling her nose against his. 

Slanting his head, he stole her lips in a mind-melting kiss which resulted in them both being breathless when it eventually ended. 

“I-I'd better go,” Haley said. 

“Yeah, okay. I'll, uh, see you soon.” Opening the door for her, he ran a hand through his hair as he watched her make her way towards the elevator bank. He could still taste her on his lips and her words about them possibly doing stuff when she came over tonight were reverberating in his head. 

Tonight couldn't come quick enough.

* * * * *

The butterflies that had taken flight during the cab ride to Nathan's apartment had settled down by the time Haley had arrived at his place. While he was in the kitchen adding the finishing touches to their dinner, she was taking a look around his home and, she had to admit, it was nothing like the bachelor pad she had envisioned him living in. Instead, it was light and airy with modern furnishings and contemporary artwork on the walls. 

“I'll bet you were expecting tons of black leather and chrome, right?” he quipped as he carried a steaming dish of macaroni and cheese to the table situated by the window overlooking the Cape Fear River. 

“Possibly,” she retorted. Seeing what he'd set down onto the table, she looked at him. “You made me mac and cheese?”

“Yeah... I remember you telling me a while ago that it was your favorite thing to eat so I thought I'd make it for us tonight. It's probably not as good as yours though.”

Her heart swelled at the fact that he'd not only remembered that little piece of information about her but that he'd also cooked the dish for her. Raising up onto her toes, she pressed her lips against his cheek. “Thank you.”

 

 

“Mm, that was delicious,” Haley told him a short while later after they had finished eating. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It's almost as good as my mom's.”

“Almost, huh?”

She shot him a half-smile and then winked at him. “Almost,” she repeated. 

“I'll just have to keep practicing then,” he teased back. Rising from his seat, he collected their dirty dishes and cutlery and said, “I'll just go and get our dessert.”

Watching him go, Haley hesitated for a brief moment before she also rose from her chair and followed him into the kitchen. A part of her felt that she was rushing into things but the bigger part of her was tired of always being so cautious. As much as she might have tried to deny it to herself immediately after the fact, she'd loved being with him last Friday night. He'd made her feel things she had never felt before and she wanted to feel that way again. 

“Haley?” Nathan noticed her standing in the doorway with a faraway look in her eyes. “Is everything okay?”

Bestowing him with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, she closed the distance between them and cupped his face between her palms. “I want you,” she told him. 

“I want you, too... so much.” Slipping his fingers in the belt loops of her jeans, he pulled her even closer so she was pressed flush against him. Seizing her lips in a fiery kiss, he lost himself in the taste and smell of her. He growled in the back of his throat when he felt her palm rubbing his erection through his pants. “God, Haley...”

“Where's your bedroom?”

Taking her hand in his, Nathan led her out of the kitchen and to the opposite end of the apartment where his bedroom was located. “Are you sure?” he asked once they were inside. 

“Yes,” she simply stated. “So sure.”

“Thank God,” he mumbled, causing Haley to laugh. 

Their laughter faded as their gazes locked. He watched as she pulled her green and black silkscreen T-shirt over her head, revealing the black push-up bra she wore beneath it. 

“You're turn,” she whispered, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth as her fingers then popped the button on her jeans. 

Nathan didn't need telling twice and he made quick work of unbuttoning his shirt, tossing it onto the nearby armchair. He couldn't tear his eyes off of Haley as she pushed the faded denim jeans down her slender thighs and he swallowed thickly when she turned slightly to hold onto the foot of the bed and he saw she was wearing a thong that matched her bra. 

“Damn.”

Haley blushed. “Do you like it?”

Speedily stripping off the rest of his own clothing until he was also down to his underwear, he replied, “Like it? I love it. You look incredible, Haley.”

 

Her blush deepened. “You don't look so bad yourself.”

Nathan chuckled. Walking over to her, he trailed a fingertip over the swell of her ample breasts and enjoyed the shiver that appeared to run through her. Reaching behind her, he popped the clasp of her bra and slowly slid the straps down her arms, letting it fall to the ground. 

Caressing the side of his face, his late-in-the-day stubble prickling the pads of her fingers, Haley pushed herself up onto her toes so that her mouth was right by his ear. “I want to explore every inch of you,” she whispered. “Can I?”

If possible, his cock grew even harder at hearing that. All he could do was nod and the next thing he knew she was directing him to get onto the bed which he was more than happy to do. Climbing on, he made himself comfortable in the middle of his king-sized bed; lying on his back and folding his arms behind his head. He watched as she, first, released the clip holding her hair up and a mass of honey-blonde curls tumbled around her shoulders. 

Keeping her eyes trained on his face, the butterflies in Haley's stomach took flight for a second time that night as she hooked her fingers into the waistband of her thong and slowly drew the flimsy scrap of fabric down her thighs and legs until they pooled around her ankles. Crawling onto the bed and straddling Nathan's legs, she did the same thing to him until he was lying before her gloriously nude. Her mouth watered as her mind conjured up a whole variety of things she could do to him this weekend. 

Kissing her way up his body, she couldn't help moaning as their skin rubbed against each other and the sounds grew louder still when her wet pussy slid along the underside of his cock which was curved up against his belly. 

“Fuck!” Nathan exclaimed. They had hardly done anything and yet he already felt like he was going to come. Gripping her waist, he flipped them over and urgently fused his mouth to hers, kissing her long and deep; his tongue thrusting into her mouth and mimicking what he hoped their lower bodies would soon be doing. 

“Yesss!” she hissed, feeling the head of his cock bumping her clit as it slid back and forth along her slippery folds. 

Shifting his position slightly, Nathan reached over to his nightstand and retrieved the pack of condoms he'd bought on his way home tonight. Ripping off the cellophane, he opened the box and grabbed one of the square packages from inside of it, tearing open the foil wrapper before finally sheathing himself with the thin latex. 

Taking himself in hand, he placed his throbbing erection at her entrance and slowly pushed forward. Leaning over her, he braced his weight on his forearms which rested either side of her head. He kissed along her cheek until his mouth hovered above her lips. 

“Kiss me,” she pleaded and he instantly complied. 

Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her heels dug into his butt, spurring him on; not that he needed any encouragement. Her pussy was so wet and snug around his shaft and the rhythmic clenching of her feminine muscles was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. 

Wanting Haley to come with him, his fingers found her nipple and he tugged on the sensitive nub of flesh which rewarded him with a series of breathy sighs and moans. 

“That's it... don't stop... please don't stop,” she begged, undulating her hips in time with his movements. Slipping a hand between their bodies, she began frantically rubbing her clit and just a few seconds later, she cried out his name as the tight coil in her belly suddenly unraveled and then snapped. 

Hearing his name fall from her lips as she climaxed combined with the feel of her sheath contracting around his cock was his undoing and, within moments, he followed suit, experiencing one of the most powerful orgasms of his life.

* * * * *

Sunday night came around far too soon for both Nathan and Haley. He watched as she packed her travel bag and he felt a pang of something he couldn't quite name. 

“Are you sure you can't stay tonight?” he asked her. 

Turning to look at him, Haley shook her head. “I'd love to but... I didn't bring any of my work clothes with me and—”

“I could set the alarm for an hour or so earlier and drop you back in the morning,” he offered. 

“We'd better not risk it. Someone could see us and, besides, it's probably better that we have a little time to prepare so we don't have this weekend written all over our faces. Tomorrow we're back in the real world where we have to pretend we're just work colleagues.”

“You know that's not all we are though, right?”

She smiled warmly at him, her heart skipping a beat. Going over to the armchair he was sitting in, she plopped down onto his lap and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “I know. This weekend was perfect and I loved every second of it.”

“But?” he prompted. 

“But, we need to be discreet about our rel... about us.”

“You can say relationship,” he told her. “This isn't just sex for me, Hales... I want us to date and for you to be my girlfriend. If that's not what you want though ju—”

“It is what I want,” she quickly interjected. “I guess I'm just scared of what might happen if we're caught out. I'd hate for either of us to lose our jobs.”

“It won't come to that, I promise.”

Kissing his lips softly, Haley rested her forehead against his. “We need to be more discreet than we were this week. If Dan had walked in a couple of seconds later he would've seen me stroking your cheek.”

Nathan knew it was a serious topic but he couldn't resist trying to lighten the mood a little. “Hey, it's not my fault you can't keep your hands off me.”

She swatted his bicep. “Nathan!”

“Okay, okay,” he capitulated. “I know it's a serious matter. I promise I won't do or say anything in the office that might get us busted.”

“Thank you,” she said, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. When, a moment later, she tried to get up from his lap she found she couldn't. “You want to let me up?” The subsequent smirk he wore made her tummy flip. 

“I was just thinking... we didn't make love in this chair over the weekend. Maybe we should remedy that before you go.”

Closing her eyes, Haley recalled the various places in his apartment where they had made love over the last couple of days. His bed had seen a fair amount of use but they'd also utilized the couch and the impressive double shower. She would never forget looking up at him and seeing his hard, muscular body glistening with the powerful spray of water raining down on him as she took him into her mouth. His eyes had been as dark as midnight as he'd stared down at her. 

“So, how about it?” he quipped, his voice bringing her out of her reverie. 

“How about we save that for next time?” she offered. 

“Fine,” he pouted.

Biting back the laughter she could feel bubbling up in the back of her throat, she kissed away his pout. “C'mon, walk me downstairs.”

“I'm not driving you home?”

“It's probably better that you don't. Discreet remember?”

“Yeah, I know.” He hated that their relationship had to be conducted so damn secretly and he inwardly cursed Dan for the rule he'd implemented. Just because an employee romance had soured in the past and caused friction at the office, it didn't mean that would be the case for everyone else. 

Sliding off of his lap, Haley zipped up her black holdall and picked up the strap and slid it onto her shoulder, only for Nathan to remove it so he could carry her bag for her.

They walked hand-in-hand down the stairs and within a couple of minutes they were standing in the lobby. 

“I wish you'd stay,” Nathan murmured against her lips before capturing them in a soft, tender kiss. 

“I want to stay,” she told him, “but I think it's better this way. We need to be ca—”

“Careful, I know.” He ran a hand through his slightly mussed hair. 

Cupping the side of his face, she ran her thumb back and forth along his cheekbone, popping one final kiss onto his lips. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He watched as Haley exited his building and headed towards the cab she had booked a short while ago, standing there until she had gotten into the vehicle and it had driven off. 

As he made the way back up to his apartment, Nathan couldn't help wondering what the future held for them. Being discreet while their relationship was still so new was one thing but surely she didn't expect for them to keep it a secret forever, not unless she wasn't expecting it to last between them. 

He mentally berated himself for sounding like such a girl. If the situation was different, he could discuss it with his best friend but he couldn't do that on this occasion since Lucas was Dan Roe's son and while he knew his friend wouldn't betray him, he couldn't risk anyone finding out... at least not when Haley was continuously telling him they needed to be discreet. 

Closing and locking the front door of his apartment behind him, he headed for the fridge to grab a beer. Lord knew he needed it.

  
**Chapter Five**   
_Four months later..._   


“You can go in now, Nathan,” Dan Roe's secretary, told him. 

“Thanks, Betty,” he said, getting up from the black leather armchair in the waiting area outside Dan's office. 

Nathan's heart was pounding as he walked the short distance to the heavy wooden door, the letter he carried burning a hole through his pocket. He paused for a second before raising his fist and knocking. 

“Come in.”

Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and pushed the door open, entering the large, spacious room. 

Dan remained seated and gestured for Nathan to sit down opposite him. “So, Nathan... you wanted to see me. Is this to do with the Moran case?”

“Uh... no. That's still all settled.”

“Good. Speaking of that case, I want you to know that your hard work on it hasn't gone unnoticed.”

“Thank you, Sir. It was a tough one but we got there in the end.”

Dan chuckled. “Can I get you a drink? Tea, coffee or maybe something a little stronger.”

“I'm fine, thanks.”

“So, if it's not about the Moran case I'm guessing it might have something to do with your relationship with Haley?”

Nathan's mouth dropped open. “How did you—”

“I'm not blind, Nathan. I've noticed the way you two look at each other when you think no one else is around. I remember a few months back, walking into your office and noticing how close the two of you were standing. There was something about it that just made me a... little curious. Your PA's cheeks flushing bright pink didn't exactly help matters,” he retorted. 

“We didn't mean to break the rules,” Nathan started. “It kind of... just happened.”

“The fact that you're sitting here talking to me about it... I'm guessing that ending the relationship isn't an option?”

“No, it's not an option at all.” Retrieving the white envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket, Nathan leaned forward and placed it on his boss's desk. 

“What's this?”

“It's my letter of resignation.”

“Nathan—”

“I won't give her up, Dan. As much as I enjoy working here, I'm willing to give it up for her.”

“Does she know you're here?” the older man asked. 

“No,” he replied. “She'd probably go crazy if she did.”

“Why choose now to come and see me? As far as you were aware, no one knew about your relationship.”

“True, but I've watched her struggle with this. Haley hates lying and by us sneaking around we're basically lying to everyone. Luke is my best friend and Haley's gotten close to Brooke and yet we couldn't tell them about us in case it got back to you.”

Picking up the envelope in front of him, Dan looked at it and then returned his gaze to Nathan before ripping it in half. “I'm not accepting your resignation. You're one of my best negotiators and I'd be a fool to let you go.”

Nathan stared at his boss in shock. “What does this mean for Haley?”

“I'm not going to fire her or force her into resigning. Before she got the permanent position working for you, she temped for me when Betty was off sick so I know first-hand how hard she works,” he told him. “Look, that rule I put into play after the Elaine and Josh fiasco was more of a gut reaction than anything else. Their break-up caused a lot of unnecessary problems for us and so banning romantic relationships between my staff seemed a logical solution.”

“I remember what happened and so does Haley and we understood why you brought it in but—” 

“It didn't stop you from becoming involved though, did it?” The half-smile Dan wore took the sting out of his words.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Nathan tried but failed to stop the smirk creeping onto his face. 

“You and Haley are free to see each other but all I'm asking for is that you continue to be discreet.”

“I don't want us to hide the fact that we're dating.”

Dan nodded. “I'm not asking you to. Just be professional which means no making out during office hours or where anyone in the office can see you.”

“Wow, I really wasn't expecting your reaction to be like this.”

“What can I say, I like surprising people,” he quipped. 

“Well, you've definitely succeeded on this occasion.”

Getting up from his executive chair, Dan walked around his desk to where Nathan was now also standing. “I really appreciate you coming to talk to me, son. To be honest, I wondered how much longer I was going to have to wait.”

“You knew I'd come to see you?”

“Yeah, I was pretty sure you would. I figured you just needed some time which is why I didn't bring the matter up.”

“Thanks... for understanding.”

The two men shook hands and after Nathan had left the office, Dan shook his head and chuckled. He had known Nathan a long time due to his son having been best friends with him since high school, not to mention both their families having become close over the years. Sometimes knowing each other outside of work had its pitfalls, especially when working on complicated cases so he could understand Nathan's reluctance in opening up to him about his relationship with Haley. The younger man wouldn't have wanted preferential treatment but, unfortunately, there would no doubt be some within the company who saw his acceptance of the young couple as proof of just that. He could only hope it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Returning to his chair, he picked up the phone and pressed the first number on his speed dial. “Hey, honey, it looks like you were right,” he told his wife, Karen. “Nathan's in love.”

* * * * *

Sitting astride her boyfriend's thighs, Haley was still in a state of shock at hearing what he'd told her he had done earlier that day. “I-I can't believe you did that,” she told him. “And I can't believe you'd tell me after we'd just had sex.”

Laughing, he ran a hand over the curve of her hip. “Well, I wasn't going to tell you beforehand. I'm not that dumb!”

“I'm... uh, I...”

“I don't think I've ever seen you this lost for words,” he teased. 

Pinching his nipple in retaliation, she felt a lick of satisfaction at the loud yelp he released. “Serves you right.”

“I'm telling you, he's fine with us being together and going public with our relationship. All he asked is that we continue to be discreet. His exact words were, 'no making out during office hours or where anyone in the office can see you'.”

Burying her face in her hands, she mumbled, “Oh God.” 

Her reaction was worrying him and the niggling concern he had that maybe she didn't see them being long-term was still troubling him. “Haley, look at me. Please.”

Lowering her hands, Haley saw the worry etched across his face. “I'm not angry... It's just, people are aware that you've known Dan for a long time and I'm sure they're going to think he's making an exception to his 'no employees dating rule',” she said, making the quote marks with her fingers, “because it's you and that anyone else would be fired for doing the same thing.”

“Let them think what they want to. I offered to resign and Dan refused to accept it.”

“You what?”

Pulling Haley down so that she was lying half on top of him, he turned over slightly so that they were facing each other. “I offered to resign.” Cradling her cheek in his palm, he continued. “I know the past few months have been hard on you and I've hated seeing you struggle with hiding our relationship. Hell, I've hated hiding it, too. I want us to be able to walk down the street holding hands, fore us to go out to dinner or a movie without worrying about us bumping into anyone we know and it ending up being reported back to Dan.” 

“Nathan, I—”

“There are other jobs out there, Hales,” he interrupted, wanting to tell her everything he'd been feeling before he chickened out, “but there's only one you.”

Haley's eyes filled with tears and before he could say another word, she sealed her mouth over his and kissed him hard; pouring everything she felt for him into it. “I love you,” she whispered long minutes later when the need for air had become too strong to ignore. 

Nathan's smile illuminated his whole face. “I love you, too.” All of his previous worries and fears faded into insignificance at hearing her say those three little words. 

He was just about to roll her over when the phone on her nightstand started to ring. “Ten bucks that Brooke's just found out about us and she's wanting all of the details.”

She giggled. “I'm not even going to accept that bet.” Reaching over to the phone, she turned off the ringer and the incessant ringing ceased. “Anyway, right now, I've got far more important things to do than talk to her.”

“Hmm, is that so? Like what?”

Rolling him over onto his back, she once again straddled his hips and rocked against his hardened length. “Like showing you just how grateful I am for what you did today.”

“Oh, I'm definitely on board with that,” he told her, flashing her a dirty smirk as his hands roamed all over her warm, bare skin. 

He mentally patted himself on the back for finally going to see his boss and getting everything out into the open and while he knew the coming days and weeks may not be particularly easy, all he cared about was the fact Haley felt the exact same way about him as he did about her. 

Everything else could wait. 

_Fin_


End file.
